The Lion King 3: Nadira's Journey
by Bamon
Summary: Not long after TLK 2, Kiara gave birth to twin male cubs Hasani & Jamal. We meet them when they reach 2 years old, as a young Tigon (Tiger x Lion) lioness wanders into the Pridelands with her ailing mother, Eshe, and her very bubbly half sister, Zuri. With scars on the outside and inside, as well being larger and bulkier then any lioness, this is Nadira's journey for self worth.
1. Chapter 1

**The Lion King 3: Nadira's Journey.**

Chapter One: Eshe's Capture.

A yawn left Eshe's mouth as she stretched, her rump up in the air with her front legs stretched out and tail twitching in the air. Licking her lips she came out of her feline stretch before padding her way through the various other white lionesses of her pride. Her piercing blue eyes sparkled as she reached her father's side whom was the King of the Pride. He was sat upright, front paws on the ground and legs straight with his bottom on the ground as well as his tail curled around his large paws. His thick white mane surrounded his face, covered his strong neck and chest, before running down the length of his belly. It was very thick and definitely made him look the peak of noble and majesty lions were known for.

"Morning father."

Eshe chimed, a happy smile on her lips as she watched her father scan the desert surrounding them. Various dry shrubs as well as trees were dotted here and there but for the most part it was empty. It was not without prey however especially since there was a river nearby and beyond that a lush oasis. Her father turned his noble head towards his daughter, noticing the strong jaw and defined features that she shared with him. Most would consider it a masculine look but on her it just looked right. Besides, it wasn't as if she had any lack of admirers.

"You're not going hunting."

He told her, a teasing smirk on his lips as he watched her expression descend into an upset pout.

"But father, all the other lionesses get to hunt!"

She whined, tail twitching as she shifted her weight from her front left paw to her front right. He chuckled at the look on her face, shaking his head with a deep fondness.

"And who would take over the pride should my little Bumblebee get mortally wounded?"

He asked, slowly rising up onto all four paws as he teased her. An embrassed look filled Eshe's face at the nickname.

"Oh come on, you promised me you'd never call me that again!"

She complained, before tugging on one of his large ears with her teeth. He shook his ear free of her grip with a playful grin before giving her a long lick over her cheek.

"I'm your father, I can call you whatever I like."

He told her before wandering amongst the lionesses of his pride. Eshe huffed in exasperation before trotting after him.

"Father, I really want to hunt. I'm the only lioness that never has. I promise I'll be really careful. Besides, Ajia taught me herself and she's the best huntress in the whole pride!"

She argued as she came up beside him. He turned his piercing sky blue eyes on his daughter's own cobalt blue ones, noticing how desperate she really wanted to hunt and prove herself. He supposed at three years old she was the oldest lioness to have never been on her first hunt. He sighed deeply in resignation but before he could even tell her yes Eshe had squealed and began nuzzling him thoroughly with a lot of enthusiasm.

"Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!"

She beamed, giving him a quick lick on the nose before turning around and running off happily. He could only watch her with fondness and longing, hoping she would return.

It wasn't long before Eshe reached the river as she crouched in a small area of long, dried grass. So far there was no prey but she was determined to bring something back. She would do her father proud. All she had ever wanted was to have the approval of her pride and father, as well as their pride. She fully believed she couldn't be a good Queen for the pride if she couldn't hunt. Besides, she wanted to be one of them. She wanted to be a friend. She didn't want to be feared or just seen as a superior. It would just feel very uncomfortable and too wierd.

Finally an Impala doe approached the river, its herd a fair distance behind it, and lowered its small head to drink. Unfortunately it was on the other side of the river but Eshe refused to let it stop her. Fortunately the river wasn't so deep she couldn't just run through it so that was exactly what she would do. She shifted her weight, aligning her body in the perfect position before she leapt out of the brush. She didn't hesitate to run at top speed, the noise from her leap causing the Impala to turn and take flight. Eshe didn't stop however. She kept bolting after it, her paws thudding against the dry earth once she had come out of the water. Her coat was damp from the spray, the sun beating harshly on the earth beneath, and dust rose where her paws thudded on the ground as well as where the Impala's hooves touched the ground.

Within moments she was close enough to pounce, and so with a shift of strength she launched herself at her prey. Sharp claws slid into the fur and flesh of the Impala either side of its withers, whilst Eshe's powerful jaws had parted and sunk into the back of her prey's neck. Her teeth sunk in deep enough to brush against the bone. The pain was so great the Impala lost a stride before it sunk to the ground due to its own error. The second the Impala hit the ground Eshe released her grip on the back of the neck before biting into the throat whilst using her left front paw to pin down her prey's head and her right front paw on its shoulder.

It wasn't long fore the Impala went completely limb as its heart stopped beating. Releasing its neck from her jaws, Eshe' licked her lips to get the blood off her muzzle. After a thorough wash she lowered her head to grab her prize when a scent reached her nose. She frowned before lifting her head, turning it to the left before tilting her nose upwards and parting her jaws. Her senses told her within seconds that a virile male was nearby. The scent was so powerful, so musky and tempting that Eshe found it hard to resist. Her gaze went down to her prey before looking in the direction the scent was coming from.

She knew she should just go home, but with her father being the only male in the pride she couldn't help but be curious about another male. Growling in fustration, Eshe gathered the Impala's neck in her mouth before dragging it in the direction of the male's scent. She wasn't going to loose her prey but she did want to see the lion so she decided to bring it with her. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do.

However when she reached the source of the scent she immediately realised something was wrong. The scent was on a rock on a dry patch of earth with long, dried grass circling it. Eshe immediately dropped the Impala and scanned the surrounding area desperately. She didn't see the culprit in time. Infact she didn't see it at all. Even when something pierced the skin of her rump, causing her to yelp and spin around to face the direction it had come from, she still didn't see the culprit. She turned to bolt but her body started to feel heavy and she barely got three strides away before she collapsed to the ground in a deep sleep.

Once she was unconscious on the ground, five men rose from their laid positions on the ground in the grass. Each one had a rifle filled with tranquilisers, although only one had a walkie-talkie attatched to his belt. As the lead of the hunt and owner of the circus, he took out the walkie-talkie and pressed the button to speak.

"The white lioness is down. Bring the truck, now."

He growled, before putting the walkie-talkie back where it had hung previously. There was a rumble of the engine in the distance, growing in volume until it sounded like thunder, and then the sound was gone as the truck skidded to a halt inches from the group of men. Two of the hunting party, redhaired identical brothers, grabbed both pairs of legs of the lioness and carried her to the back of the truck. They let her body thud onto the bed of the truck before using strong chains to bind both sets of ankles together, and then another around her muzzle so she couldn't bite them. Grabbing a black piece of tarp they threw it over the lioness before both brothers climbed up into the bed of the truck. They sat either side of the lioness, their bottoms resting on top of the sides of the truck, whilst the other two men of the hunting party and its leader got into the front of the truck where fortunately there were two rows of seats. With the windows down the truck drove off, leaving only the Impala corpse behind.

An hour late a large white lion with his pride of females had tracked Eshe's scent all the way to the Impala corpse. The scent surrounding it was unfamiliar but smelled like a predator however outside the small clearing the scents didn't go anywhere. That night the pride roared their mournful loss although it held a slight tinge of hope that one of their own would return. The sound carried for miles, and although other prides answered none knew of the location of a single white lioness princess.

Eshe did not hear the plea for her return for her brethren, as by the time she woke she was so far away even the scent of lions could no longer be smelt.

When she woke she was not bound but steel bars surrounded her on all sides and at the top whilst cold concrete was beneath her four paws. She felt groggy but she was aware enough to see the other cages filled with a variety of exotic animals - some familiar to her and others not. There was also the two leggeds, according to rumour known as 'man' everywhere.

Each man was armed, the cages left underneath a large red and yellow striped marquee. The performers of the circus were either in their dressing rooms within a multitude of lorries or in the main tent practicing for that night's show.

The scent of humans and tame animals drenched the world around Eshe, and with nothing familiar to her she couldn't help but feel scared. She had never known anything outside her home and pride. How was she supposed to survive here let alone find her way home?

Slowly Eshe rose onto all fours, her keen eyesight taking in everything more thoroughly as she felt more awake. One thing caught her eye and that was a massive feline, almost alike her father in build but taller and stronger, with thick black stripes over his white coat. It was surely male, one look between his legs as he strode ferociously around his cage proved that, and she had never seen a thing so... feral. His eyes had barely looked her way, a very ice blue, when a fiercesome snarl left its throat as he lunged in her direction within his own cage. Even the steel bars refused to deter him; he just kept slamming at the bars with claws unsheathed in an attempt to maul her. She suddenly felt a whole lot more terrified especially when she managed to see the various slices through his hide that were at different stages at healing. Clearly he was a fighter and not one that was used to loosing. She even noticed the animals around him were cowering in the farthest point of their cages in an attempt to avoid his wrath.

What had she been brought into?

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**Author's Note:** So I absolutely love The Lion King and after looking at a variety of amazing TLK art on Deviantart I couldn't help but write my own story. This is just the beginning, but don't worry we'll see the lead Nadira soon. This chapter is crucial to setting up Nadira's background. Please leave me reviews and let me know how I'm doing. This is my first TLK story, and I want to keep as true to it as possible whilst keeping this well written.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Lion King 3: Nadira's Journey.**

Chapter Two: Nadira's Conception & The Great Escape.

"The circus is loosing profits fast, Boss."

Came an old creaky voice, his older, wrinkling face barely seen through the darkness of the night. He stood leaning against one of the caravans within sight of Eshe's cage, whilst the Ringmaster and Boss of the circus stood facing him in full Ringmaster regalia.

The older man, getting close to sixty one these days, stood in an old pair of worn, faded blue jeans with a chequered red and white shirt as well as a pair of tall, heavy duty black boots. Whilst his face was wrinkled, his hands were rough and young looking, and his body was strong but lean. The sun had started to wither his skin, although Amsterdam was not as bad as the stint in Africa all those years ago. His dark brown eyes hadn't lost their spark of life although looked far wise then even a man his age should be. His hair was mostly filled with a silver grey although his youthful black hair could be seen, albeit rarely, in a few strands as was the same in his mustache.

The Ringmaster, however, looked far younger then his counterpart. His ice blue eyes were cold, flashing when angry, but when doing his act managed to soften yet seem superior and dominant at the same time. He was not as lean or muscular as his employee, the Animal Tamer and Accountant, he wasn't fat either. He was simply skinny although taller at six feet two inches which was a full foot and one inch taller then the man infront of him. His hair was still thick and luxurious, a healthy chocolate brown, and whilst his counterpart's skin was sunkissed, the Ringmaster's was a startling caucasian white. His skin was still as youthful as ever, but despite his youthful looks everyone could see just how deadly, dominant, and cunning he was. No one wanted to mess with him.

"The white lioness no longer bringing in the punters?!"

He growled, furious that his captured trinket was no longer putting out as much as she had when she was younger. Whilst it was not entirely the lioness' fault, her colouring could be seen a lot more within civilization thanks to private collectors and Zoos, she would no doubt be receiving the punishment for not bringing in the profits.

" 'fraid not Boss. Everyones seen her kind before, and despite the few tricks she knows it just ain't enough."

The Animal Tamer responded, no ounce of fear in his expression or body language as his Boss got angrier the longer the conversation was held. The Ringmaster growled in fustration, spinning round to eye the lioness but his eyes soon saw the feral Siberian Tiger prowling in its cage. The rumour of lions and tigers being able to reproduce flittered through his mind, having overheard it during his last term in Belgium, before a smirk rose on his lips. They may not come for a white lioness, but a rare hybrid between lion and tiger? They would come in droves.

"Put her with the tiger. Make sure they reproduce and she's pregnant before putting her back in her cage. Keep him from killing the chit."

He ordered the Animal Tamer before he stalked off in the direction of his own caravan and office. He had some plans to make.

The old man grabbed an electric cattle prod, as well as a blow gun and dart filled with a special chemical that would bring the lioness into heat instantly. It didn't take long to get to the lioness' cage, and without hesitation he shot the dart into the rump. Once the dart fell out, the liquid now running through the bloodstream of the white lioness, the Animal Tamer walked over to the back of the cage. Fortunately the cages were on wheels so he simply pushed it towards the tiger's cage. He pushed it until the door of the lioness' cage pressed against the door of the tiger's cage. Once done he turned on the electric cattle prod before using two levers to open the two cage doors.

With an electric shock to the rump Eshe had no choice but to leap inside the tiger's cage. She heard the two cage doors close behind her as fear flooded through her bloodstream.

The next few days the Animal Tamer and his apprentice took turns to watch the pairing, shocking the lioness and tiger whenever they tried to lethally harm each other. It didn't take long for the tiger to succumb to his sexual urges, and despite the lioness fighting as much as she could she was no match for the feral tiger. Neither were fed as they constantly had sex for the next three days, twenty four hours each day, until eventually the lioness was no longer in heat. Whilst both napped blood was taken from the lioness and tested for pregnancy. When it came back negative the lioness was once again injected so she would come back into heat. It took five more cycles before the lioness became pregnant. By that time she was as covered in as much scars, both on her body and within her womb, as the tiger was.

It was only once she was pregnant that Eshe was forced back into her own cage and pushed away from the feral beast that had raped her for fifteen consecutive days. By that point she was starving and her spirit was broken.

It was only during the one hundred and ten days of pregnancy when she felt her cub move that Eshe began to snap out of it. She found an inner strength she didn't know she had, so when it came time to give birth she knew she would do anything and everything to protect it.

It was only a few days later, after the one hundred and ten days period, that she went into labour. It was a grueling five hours but when her beautiful little cub popped out, Eshe couldn't be happier. Her cub was a cute, little, white furball with faded black stripes over her back, tail, and head. Not only that but Eshe noticed her cub had faint light cream spots on her belly and legs which were normal for lion cubs. At least, those she had seen in the few golden brown lions she had seen when out in the wild.

"Your name shall be Nadira."

Eshe purred out loud, a smile on her lips as she watched her cub muzzle into her belly. With a smile the white lioness laid on her side, allowing her cub to suckle. She was so happy that not even the cage or the circus around her could bring her down, or the snarling tiger on the other side of animal tent.

The feeding started again now she had given birth, and Eshe ate with gusto. She wanted to provide her daughter with as much milk as possible.

A week and two days after Eshe gave birth, Nadira opened her eyes to reveal two cobalt blue eyes. Nadira had been crawling around the cage a lot after she was three days old, so with her eyes now open Nadira began walking around it a lot more since she could see everything around her. Eshe made sure to stay close to her cub, watching the workers wearily as they came and went about their business.

Eshe was relieved that the workers never used her for the circus shows, but she suspected that was only because Nadira was just a cub. She had a feeling as soon as Nadira was a year old, able to eat solid food, neither of them would be left alone in the cage.

Nadira's cub-hood was a good one despite the surroundings. Her mother played with her, she was always fed, and no one harmed her. Eshe ended up having to walk around the cage now she was no longer in the circus shows just to keep up her fitness level - as low as it was. She tried her hardest to stay at least a little bit in shape should there be any opportunity to escape. She also made sure Nadira did as well.

It was two months after Nadira turned a year old, a year of protecting her mother from the abuse the workers tried to inflict on her, that the opportunity came.

The electric cattle prod and whip had hardened Nadira both in soul and body so when the opportunity came she was prepared to fight tooth and nail for their freedom.

That night out in the middle of Africa, the Animal Tamer's apprentice stopped for a smoke near the Animal Tent whilst a show was going on. A runner, a young boy who did the grunt work, called for the apprentice since help was needed to get the tiger back in its cage after its turn in the show was over. Since the roaring was louder then usual, he dropped the cigarette and didn't check that he rubbed his heel into the cigarette and not simply grass, before running off. As it happened he did not rub the cigarette with his heel, putting it out, and so it wasn't long before the fire spread. It went to the grass first, and then up the side of the Animal Tent.

It was only when the Animal Tent was completely ablaze did anyone realise what was happening. The show was cancelled, the punters ran to leave, and all the circus workers went to work trying to put out the blaze with buckets of water and hoses as well as trying to drag the cages out of harms way. After all the animals were their biggest money makers.

Nadira and Eshe's cage was one of the first to be seen to. One of the other runners grabbed the front of the cage and tried to push it away, but as he did a crack came from a nearby wooden post. When checked it was seen a rope tied around the post was also snagged on the cage meaning if the cage was moved any more the whole tent would come down. The runner had no choice; he had to keep the Tigon alive. He hurriedly used a key hung up on a nearby hook to open the cage door, an electric cattle prod nervously in his hand, and sent an electric shock into the Tigon to get it out of the cage.

Nadira didn't hesitate to jump out snarling, keeping the boy's attention whilst her mother nimbly jumped out. Once her mother was out and free, Nadira swiped a large paw the boy's way. Since the electric cattle prod had been used on her so much she was used to it, so when the boy used it again when she swiped her paw it didn't stop her paw from mauling the boy's arm. It sent him flying to the ground, dust rising, and with him out of action for now Nadira bolted with her mother right beside her.

Neither stopped, even when they were pursued on foot with tranquiliser guns or when trucks came speeding their way. They used the wilderness to duck, swerve, and finally hide from their pursuers. It was a large hollow tree trunk that saved them. Nadira and her mother had managed to crawl inside it, the trunk laid on its side with holes at each end. They stayed there for the next twenty four hours. By that time there was no sound except that of nature so they carefully left their hiding place.

After that Eshe was forced to learn to hunt for herself and within a few weeks she had managed to learn enough to teach her young daughter, Nadira, as well.

The pair was happy despite being alone and nomadic.

They weren't that way for long however. Shortly they came across a Pride's territory. It was here that her mother found love. It was there that Nadira watched her mother fall in love despite the warnings she gave her. After all they had been through Nadira refused to trust another soul and was sure this lion was hiding something. He had to have his own agenda, and with that Nadira's suspicious nature came out full force.

She'd reveal him for the fake he was, and she would stop at nothing to do it. She had to protect her mother after all. Eshe wasn't young anymore and both of them knew it.

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**Author's Note:** Here is the next chapter! I'd love to hear what you think in a review.

Koryandrs - Thankyou hun. I do hope my OC, Nadira, is as far away from horrible as possible. We'll see more of her in the next chapter, although it'll be the chapter after that where the real story starts. The previous two, and the next chapter, is setting the scene and explaining the backgrounds needed.

Motsumi - Thankyou so much hun! I really wanted to get a well written TLK out there since it seems so rare on here. I hope it just gets better from here. I'd love to read yours when you get it back up.


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